With two days to go before the World Cup opener against Brazil (live on Sunday at 23:00 CEST on Rai 2), the National Under 20s team are undergoing double training sessions on the pitches made available by FIFA in the surroundings of Mendoza, a small town in Argentina close to the Andes. The climate is temperate and Nunziata's lads - jet lag still being overcome - are giving their all to reach the best physical and tactical condition. After Tommaso Baldanzi, who joined the group yesterday, two players are still yet to join, Samuele Giovane and Giuseppe Ambrosino: both should arrive on Sunday and, while the former is certain, the latter will have to wait for the result of today's match between Cittadella (his club) and Como. A victory would guarantee the Veneto side staying in Serie B by avoiding the play-off, a condition that would free the striker from his commitments with the club and allow him to join his teammates in Argentina.

Among the Azzurrini, the youngest of the group is Simone Pafundi, who turned 17 last 14 March. He is a boy who has already reached the top of the footballing world this past year. From Mancini's call-up to the national team at the tender age of 16 in May last year - the youngest ever - to his almost simultaneous debut in Serie A (8 appearances this season) and in the senior national team against Albania four months later, it would be enough to upset anyone's balance. Mancini has declared that when issuing call-ups, Pafundi's is one of the first names. A source of pride, but also a great responsibility: "A very strong but of motivation," smiles Simone, "to always do better. My relationship with the coach is very good, he is calm: he tells me when I am doing well and advises me what to do when I do less well. He's always there." He lives a busy life, without renouncing the company of his friends and his school commitments - he attends Sports High School -, he looks at what is happening to him with a maturity that very often goes beyond his years: "Everyone expects a lot from me, I feel the pressure and I try to control my emotions. I love football so much and I think I am good at it, but I always try to do something more, for myself and to prove my worth on the pitch. I'm not in a hurry, I have time to learn and improve."

His is an exciting story, which began just over 10 years ago on the fields of Monfalcone, the city where he was born. His father Salvatore and brother Andrea were his mentors, true football fans. From the local football school, which he already wanted to attend at the age of 4, he moved to Udinese, where he still is to this day. Selected for the Under 16 national team, he immediately moved up to the Under 17s last October and played in the first qualifying phase of the European Championship under the guidance of Bernardo Corradi: his contribution to the passage to the next phase was resounding thanks to the 4 goals he scored in three games. Now he is in Argentina to play the Under-20 World Cup, he is the smallest of the group and among the youngest in the tournament: "This does not impress me," smiles Simone, "I am used to it. I have always played with the older players and I have never felt out of place. To wear the Azzurri jersey so young is a dream and such a strong emotion that I cannot explain. Such a prestigious competition, from which so many champions have emerged, offers me and my teammates a great opportunity. We will play in front of a worldwide audience, which will follow us to discover the future of this wonderful game." And the opener is already nearly here on Sunday, in a classic like Italy vs. Brazil: "It is a dream that I don't know if I will ever experience again and I can't wait, with my teammates, a fantastic group, to play one of the most beautiful and difficult games we ever will, all together giving our best to keep on dreaming."

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Trento); Jacopo Sassi (Giugliano Calcio), Gioele Zacchi (Sassuolo);

Defenders: Filippo Fiumanò (Aquila Montevarchi); Alessandro Fontanarosa (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Mantova), Samuel Giovane (Ascoli), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Zanotti (Inter);

Midfielders: Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli), Cesare Casadei (Reading F.C.), Duccio Degli Innocenti (Empoli), Giacomo Faticanti (Roma), Luca Lipani (Genoa), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Matteo Prati (Spal);

Attackers: Giuseppe Ambrosino Di Bruttopilo (Cittadella), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Daniele Montevago (Sampdoria), Simone Pafundi (Udinese).

The Groups and Venues

Group A: Argentina, Uzbekistan, Guatemala, New Zealand (Santiago del Estero);

Group B: USA, Ecuador, Fiji, Slovakia (San Juan);

Group C: Senegal, Japan, Israel, Colombia (La Plata);

Group D: ITALY, Brazil, Nigeria, Dominican Republic (Mendoza);

Group E: Uruguay, Iraq, England, Tunisia (La Plata);

Group F: France, South Korea, Honduras (Mendoza).

Group D Fixtures

Sunday 21 May

Nigeria vs. Dominican Republic, 15:00 local time, Stadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza
ITALY vs. Brazil, 18:00 local time (23:00 CEST), Stadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza;

Wednesday 24 May
ITALY vs. Nigeria, 15:00 local time, (20:00 CEST), Stadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza
Brazil vs. Dominican Republic, 18:00 local time, Stadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza

Saturday 27 May
Brazil vs. Nigeria, 15:00 local time, La Plata
Dominican Republic vs. ITALY, 15:00 local time (20:00 CEST), Stadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza

Number of U20 World Cup wins

Argentina (6), Brazil (5), Portugal (2), Serbia (2), Ghana (1,) Spain (1), Russia (1), Germany (1), England (1), France (1), Ukraine (1, reigning champions).